CWA News
The voice of the welding industry in Canada
October 2005
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
The Canadian Welding Association’s Board of Directors met in Halifax last weekend. The Board held a formal meeting on September 30 in order to report its activities to the members at the Annual General Meeting and then held a strategy session on October 1. The Board decided on several immediate initiatives.
- Establish chapters in several opportune areas (e.g., east of Toronto and in Fort McMurray);
- Develop an audio-visual program on the website or a CD-ROM/DVD highlighting the importance of welding to industry and available career opportunities;
- Take over responsibility for publishing the Canadian Welding Association Journal;
- Look into moving the date of Weld Expo Canada so it does not coincide with FabTech;
- Circulate the draft of the Technology Roadmap document when it is received at the end of October;
- Develop a membership-benefits program to include such items as insurance and cell phones.
The Association’s finances remain a challenge. The Board discussed many options, with increased membership being the prime focus.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The AGM is the Board’s opportunity to report to members about the state of the Association and to get feedback from members on what they want from their Association.
A few highlights of the AGM include:
- The need for an active suppliers committee;
- The current need to increase membership in order to finance the Association;
- The importance of increasing the number of chapters.
Minutes of the Board of Directors meeting and the Annual General Meeting will be posted to CWA’s website as soon as they are completed.
HALIFAX WELDING SEMINAR
The CWA hosted a lunch in Halifax in partnership with the Halifax and Nova Scotia Chapters. Dave Fink of Panasonic Factory Automation spoke on justifying a robotic installation, Mick Pates spoke about exotic welding applications and Chris Rees updated the group on the status of the Technology Roadmap.
CANADIAN WELDING INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP
At the end of September, the Technology Roadmap made significant progress with its regional meetings held in Edmonton, Kitchener, Montreal and Halifax. These forums were intended to gauge the objectives and future needs of the members of the welding industry. The participants included representatives from industry, education and other stakeholders in the industry.
The results of these forums, as well as all the other input that the steering committee for the Technology Roadmap has gathered, will be published as part of the larger Canadian Technology Roadmap for the Welding Industry. The first draft of the document is scheduled for early November.
CANADIAN MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY SHOW
The Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS) will be held at the National Trade Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto from October 17 to 20, 2005. Visit www.cmts.ca for details. CMTS is Canada’s largest forum for domestic and international manufacturers and distributors to display the full range of manufacturing machinery, plant-floor automation technology and support products.
CWA JOB OPPORTUNITIES
CWA has postings for the following job opportunities. If you are interested or know someone who is, please send your contact information to members@cwa-acs.org. Complete details about these positions can be seen on the job opportunities page.
- TIG welder (Markham $15–$16/hr)
- TIG welder – aluminum/stainless (Mississauga $18/hr)
- Pipe welder/fitter/fabricator (Oakville $18–$23/hr)
- Aluminum cutter/lead hand (Toronto $12–$18/hr)
- MIG/stick trailer welder (Brampton $17/hr)
GEORGE BOTTRELL
George Bottrell passed away on September 8, 2005. He was a 40-year employee of Fibre-Metal (Canada), until his retirement in February 2002. George traveled extensively in Central and Western Canada and was well respected for his years of experience and extensive knowledge. He will be fondly remembered by his friends in the welding industry.